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I rarely go out to eat for lunch. My wife is a great cook and I have great left-overs. I recently found myself needing a quick bite to eat for lunch. I managed to make it to Chick-fil-A. I decided to go there because I know that I can get consistently quick and good service.
I wasn't excited to find 6 or 7 cars ahead of me at the drive through. I usually go in to order if there is a line. In the car line I was greeted by a Chick-fil-A employee with a pad of paper and a head set asking if they could take my order. I asked if their system was broken. I was told no and that they are doing this to help get me on my way as quickly as they can. I said to myself, "Really? I will see about that.".
I placed my order. They gave me a small piece of paper with "chicken scratch" on it with my total price at the top. They ordered for me through the headset. I thought "cool". The line kept moving and when I reached the window I exchanged the exact amount of money written on the paper and I received a bag of food waiting for me. When I said thank you, I did not hear "no problem" (which is common and I hate), but rather "It's my pleasure. Have a great day!". How can you not have a great day with a response like that.
Chick-fil-A makes great service look easy.
I have never liked taking my car to the mechanic. Who does? I always think I am going to get ripped off only to discover later that I didn't need what I just paid for. I must say I really like my mechanic. Why? Because I trust him.
A few years ago we moved from Ohio to Richmond, Virginia. I took my car to an auto shop across the street from where I work for the required state inspection. To make a long story short, I got a quote for $850 of work that needed to be done in order to pass inspection and was told I couldn't drive my inspection failed car or I could risk getting a sizable fine. I drove it anyway and found Richmond Imports in the same area. I told this mechanic (Marty) the long version of the story and said I just need a mechanic I can trust. He said I could trust him. After looking at my car, Marty told me some work needed to be done in order to pass but it was more like $200 to fix. He went through the list with me and I knew about everything he listed.
Eventually I started taking my car to Richmond Imports just for oil changes when a national oil change company forgot to tighten the drain plug. Oil spilled all over my garage. Richmond Imports has never failed me.
A recent great experience made me think about why I continue to take my car to Marty.
- Marty knows me by name (every time I call or walk in)
- Marty knows my cars (what was done last time and what they need)
- Richmond Imports' goals are the same as mine (keep me driving my car as long as possible)
- Marty never recommends more than I need (any recommendations for additional work is specific and clear)
- Marty provides me with options (I know how long he believes the part will last - Marty always lets me know exactly what each job will cost)
- Richmond Imports always over delivers (sets expectations but always over delivers - additional work is always less than the quote)
- Richmond Imports will do the extra work when necessary (if they find something while working on my car, Marty always calls to give me options - if the extra work is minor there is no charge)
- Because of all of this Marty has my trust (I believe everything he tells me because of the reputation he has built with me)
It must be fun to work at a place that is so honest and truly appreciates it's customers. Result is that I will be a life long customer. If you live in Richmond, consider this my full endorsement for Richmond Imports.
An amazing thing about life is that it is entirely up to you to make your life as successful or difficult as you choose. Sure there are plenty of forces that are beyond your control. You can determine what to do with what you have control of though. Abraham Lincoln once said (and this is one of my very favorite quotes) "Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be". Bottom line is that your success is up to you.
You might be stuck and not know how to get past whatever is stopping you. You might be in a very difficult situation that prevents you from success. To overcome your situation, put it aside and find someone else who is in a more difficult situation than you. Then, help them overcome it.
If you need help, help someone else. Through service to others, you provide service to yourself and ultimately you can overcome what is preventing you from your success.
